DHAKA: Bangladesh’s border guards have been placed on alert after reports that neighboring Myanmar was amassing troops following a breakdown in talks on oil and gas exploration in disputed areas of the Bay of Bengal, officials said.
“We have information that Myanmar has increased its soldiers along the border with us,” A.K.M. Nurul Bahar, a top border guard official said. He would not give further details.
Abdul Khaleque, another border official in the region, said local residents were asked to stay on alert.
Bangladesh has a 275-km land border with Myanmar. Bangladesh accused Myanmar of sending several ships — apparently for prospecting — into a contested deep-sea area believed to contain hydrocarbon reserves.
The dispute surfaced after South Korea’s Daewoo International Corp., which has been hired by Myanmar, started formal explorations in September. Bangladesh protested the move, saying it was intruding into its waters.
Myanmar has called Bangladesh’s claims “unlawful and wrong.” Bangladesh said on Friday that Daewoo has started dismantling its equipment in the disputed areas in response to its protests.
Bangladesh urged Myanmar earlier this week to withdraw the ships and stop exploration until the sea boundary dispute is resolved, saying it would also refrain from exploration.
It sent naval vessels to the area, but vowed to use diplomatic methods to solve the dispute. But talks held in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, ended inconclusively on Friday, the Independent newspaper reported on Saturday.
A Foreign Ministry official in Dhaka said yesterday the South Korean rig “Trans Ocean Legend” backed by Myanmar warships was pulled back from the site.
On Nov. 1, Bangladeshi naval ship “Nirvoy” detected four drilling vessels and a tug with the support of Myanmar doing exploration with a huge rig within the deep-sea waters claimed by Bangladesh.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said that “in view of the situation, the Bangladesh Navy reinforced its strengths in the deep sea” alongside diplomatic offensive.
The two sides have been engaged in long-standing talks to agree on their maritime border, with the next session scheduled for Nov. 16-17 in Dhaka.
Bangladesh dispatched a high-powered delegation led by Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain to Yangon to discuss the matter with the Myanmar authorities on diplomatic plane.
On the other hand, crews of the civilian foreign company ship were informed about Bangladesh’s clear position and her claim on the Bay waters. As a result, the foreign company ship engaged in installing the rig and crew realized the danger of the consequences.
— With input from agencies
